Robert McQuilken, when he was a young man, dreamed of becoming the president of Columbia Bible College in Columbia, South Carolina. His father, whom he adored, had held that position, and he aspired to someday take his father’s place.
Not everyone has the opportunity to see a dream come true, but Robert McQuilken did. When he was chosen president he moved into the office his father had occupied with the firm conviction that it was God’s will. He served Columbia Bible College with distinction in the years that followed, and under his leadership it became a premier Christian institution. It has prepared literally thousands of young men for Christian service, both in the United States and overseas.
It was at this point that Dr. McQuilken had a tragedy on his hands. His wife began to show symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Her condition rapidly deteriorated and in a matter of months he found himself faced with dramatic consequences. She not only lost the memory of much of their life together, but she was unable to even recognize him. While I was serving as the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Sanford I saw the tragic impact of this disease on one of the finest Christian families I have ever served.
Dr. McQuilken knew that he had a very important decision to make, and he quickly made it. He resigned the presidency of Columbia College so he could give full-time care to his wife. It was a decision to which he did not give a second thought. He walked away from the position to which he had felt called by God as an act of love for his wife.
There were realists who told him that it did not make sense for him to do what he was doing. “There are lots of well-trained people who can take care of your wife,” they said, “but not everybody has the ability or training to be president of Columbia Bible College. Your wife would not know the difference, for she does not even recognize you when you come into the room to help her.”
Then there were the superficially pious critics who said to him, “You are walking away from a calling from God. No Christian should ever go AWOL from what God calls them to do. You are letting your personal concern for your wife interfere with your service for the Lord.” They were trying to make him feel guilty.
His answer to this criticism was magnificent: “I know she does not know who I am, but that is not the point. The really important thing is that I know who she is! I recognize her, though she is very forgetful, to be the same lovely woman I married many years ago.”
At this point he paused briefly, and spoke words to his critics that were profound: “There is only one thing more important than a calling,” he said, “and that is a promise. I promised both God and her on the day we were married that I would to be there for her ‘until death parts us.’”
America would be a much better country in which to live if there were more people like Robert McQuilken. He knew the difference between promises made and promises kept. Not everybody does! The strength of a nation depends upon the strength of its families. Many couples in our country live together outside the bonds of matrimony. And countless others view their union as a possible short-term option.
The difference between a short-term option and a lifetime contract? Knowing the value of a promise! Have you kept the promises you made to others? Have you kept the promises you made to God?
The Paper Pulpit 
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